Fifth-wheel for wagons



(No Model.)

J. T; DOUGI NE.

FIFTH WHEEL FOR WAGONS No. 297,685. Patented Apr. 29, 1884.

UNITED STATES p ATENT OFFICE.

JAMES T. DOUGINE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FIFTH-WHEEL FOR WAGONS.

SPECIPICATION'forming part of Letters Patent No. 297,685, dated April 29, 1884:.

Application filed February 25, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES T. DOUGINE, a citizen of the United States, residing in Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Wagons, of which the following is a specification. i '1 The object of this invention is to provide means for so mounting the forward bolster of wagons, coaches, and other vehicles upon their axles that when one of the wheels runsover an obstruction or falls into a depression the axle may freely turn or incline to its bolster with out racking or twisting or causing any strain upon the body of the vehicle, or tending to disturb the horizontality or parallelism of the forward and rear bolsters, and at the same time to secure the bolster against any forward or backward rocking or tilting motion; and to thisend my invention consists in mounting the bolster upon a ball-and-socket joint, which" is provided with a swivel-ring inserted between the ball-plate and the socket-plate, to which ring braces are led to prevent the bolster rocking backward or forward. This ring also serves as a stop to limit the extent to which the axle may turn or incline to its bolster, and

to prevent the bolster rocking backward or forward, the-front and rear portions of the ring being raised so as to admit of no ,movement between the ball-plate and socket-plate in this direction. The braces serve to swivel or turn this ring around on the neck of the ball as the vehicle'is turned, and thus keep the front and rear raised portions of the ring always in the same relation to the bolster, so that however the bolster is turned itcannot rock or tilt backward or forward.

The invention also consists in the novel construction and combinations of devices, as hereinafter more fully set forth. I i

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which similar letters of referencev indicate like parts throughout the several figures, Figure 1 is a front view of a device embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 isa vertical longitudinal section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is aplan view of the cap or socket piece, which is secured to the bolster. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the ball or bottom plate, which is secured to the axle; and

Fig. 5 is a plan View of the intermediate ring,

to which the braces are attached.

In the drawings, A represents the axle, B

' the bolster, and B the body, of the vehicle.

0 is the ball of the ball-and-socket joint. It is provided with a neck,c,and a flange or bedplate, 0, which is rigidly secured to the axle Y A by the clips 0 D is the socket, which fits over the ball 0. It is made in two'parts secured together by bolts d, andis provided with upper flanges, d d, which are rigidly secured to the bolster B by the clips (1 These clips also serve to bind the two parts of the socket together. The socket D is also provided with a bearing plate, flange, or collar, (1 at its lower end, which bears or strikes against the interposed ring or stop E at its front and back edges, so

as to prevent any backward or forward rocking of the socket on the ball. The side edges,

.0 e, of this ring are made thinner than its back and front edges, 6 0, so that the socket may rock or turn from side to side within certain limits. The upper surface of this ring may preferably be dished or curved from/its thick to its thin edges, about as shown in Fig. 1. The plate or collar (1 of the socket may also be dished or curved upward at its sides, or the plate cl alone may be dished or curved in this manner, to make provision for the ball and socket to turn on each other, and for the axle to incline to its bolster; but the preferable construction is to make the pitch or curve only in the ring, as shown. The ring E is mounted on the 'neck c of the ball, and it is made in two parts secured together by bolts 6 so that it may be applied to said neck. This ring E may be of any suitable construction. That above described and shown I deem to be the preferable one; but it may consist of a mere arm turning on the neck of the ball, the ends of which, fitting between the plate 0 of the ball and the plate d of the socket, at their front and rear edges,will serve to keep the bolster from tilting backward or forward and afford means of attachment for IOC are secured by means of the swivel g and bolt or pin g", the braces being secured to the swivel-piece 9, so that they may turn therein. By securing the braces to the ring in this way, by a swivel-connection, any twisting strain upon the braces will be prevented. The braces G not only serve to brace the bolster and keep it from rocking backward and forward, but they also serve as the means of connection between the ring E and the bolster or the socket secured thereto, by which the ring is caused to turn or swivel with the bolster, and thus keep the thick edges of said ring always in front and rear, so that the socket cannot turn in this direction on its ball. The ball-plate 0 serves to materially strengthen the axle, and being secured thereto by clips which embrace the axle, there are no bolt-holes through the same to weaken it. The socket should surround the ball suffieiently below the center, so that the ball and socket will firmly hold the axle and bolster together. The weight of the load rests upon the ball 0, and not upon the interposed ring E, which serves merely as a stop to prevent any backward or forward vibration of the bolster, and to limit its rocking motion, or rather that of the axle, from side to side. The extent to which the axle and bolster may incline toward each other may of course be increased or diminished by simply making the ring E thicker or thinner at its side edges.

The ball may preferably be cast integral with its plate, in which case the ring and socket are each made in two parts; but the ball may be made separate from its plate, if desired, and secured thereto in any suitable manneras, for example, by screw-threads.

The interposed ring or arm E may be provided with other means than the brace or braces G, for causing the same to turn with the socket or the bolster secured thereto-as, for example, a simple pin, lug, or projection extending from the socket-plate into the ring.

Some of the advantages of my invention may be attained if the ring is turned bottom side up, or with its pitch or curved surface down, in which case the ring may be rigidly secured to the socket.

I claim 1. The combination of the ball and its plate wit-h a socket and its plate, the one secured to the axle and the other to the bolster, an interposed ring having thick and thin edges, and means for turning said ring with the bolster or with the plate secured thereto, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with the axle and its bolster, of a ball and its socket secured the one to the axle and the other to the bolster, and an interposed ring or device for limiting the movement of said socket on its ball, substantially as specified.

3. The combination of the ball and its plate with the socket and its plate, and the ring interposed between said plates, and made with thick and thin edges, to permit the socket to rock from side to side, but not backward and forward, substantially as specified.

4. The combination of the ball and its plate secured to the axle, with the socket and its plate secured to the bolster, and the interposed ring having thick and thin edges, and provided with a brace for turning said ring with the bolster, substantially as specified.

5. The combination of the ball and its plate secured to the axle, with the socket and its plate secured to the bolster, said socket being made in two parts embracing said ball, a twopart interposed ring mounted on the neck of said ball, and braces extending from said ring to the body of the vehicle, and having a swivelconnection with said ring, substantially as specified.

6. The combination of the ball and its plate secured to the axle, with a socket and its plate secured to the bolster, a neutral ring, and a brace extending from said ring to the vehicle,

to prevent the bolster rocking backward and forward, substantially as specified.

JAMES T. DOUGINE.

\Vitnesses:

H. M. llIUNDAY, TAYLOR E. BROWN. 

